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Mercenaries/Session 27
19:59 <~abudhabi> Alrighty. Nuramor might not make it. What about everyone else? 20:00 <&Remmon> Liam may be up to 30 minutes late due to parents. 20:00 <~abudhabi> Even though he's here? 20:00 <&Remmon> He's home, just not able to play yet. 20:00 <~abudhabi> We'll wait the customary amount, then. 20:00 <~abudhabi> Provided everyone else is here? 20:01 <&Remmon> Liam should be here in 30. 20:01 <&Remmon> If Maz isn't by then, we can bite his head off or something :p 20:02 <&Remmon> Where is namanama though? 20:05 <&maz> Remmon: fuck you too. 20:12 <~abudhabi> 2 people isn't enough to start. I'll hop out to the store while people arrive. 20:16 -!- maz is now known as Natsu 20:17 -!- Remmon is now known as Arthur 20:32 -!- Namaphry Mysterious@Nightstar-u3qg9t.bchsia.telus.net has joined #Traveller 20:32 -!- mode/#traveller Namaphry Namaphry by ChanServ 20:32 -!- Liam is now known as Nev 20:32 -!- Namaphry is now known as Ziggy 20:33 <~abudhabi> GENTLEMEN. 20:33 <~abudhabi> Last time, you accidentally destroyed a Zhodani scoutship. You also recovered a survivor from said ship. 20:36 <&Arthur> Yes. We were going to put it in the autodoc 20:36 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6+3: Autodoc 20:36 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "Autodoc": (5+2)+3. Total: 10. 20:36 <~abudhabi> The autodoc stabilizes the Zhodani, and diagnoses his state as 'severely wounded'. 20:37 <&Arthur> "Gee, I wonder how he managed to get that injured." 20:37 * Arthur glares at the marine 20:37 <&Natsu> "I can make him fully dead if you prefer..." 20:37 <&Arthur> "I haven't finished questioning him." 20:37 <&Natsu> "sir." 20:38 * Arthur checks if the autodoc can take care of the necessary treatment or if the guy is going to need surgery or something somewhere civilised 20:39 * Natsu shrugs, pats his gauss pistol suggestively, and heads to the corridor to await further instructions. 20:40 * Ziggy recuperates from her space dance. 20:40 <~abudhabi> Arthur: The autodoc performed life-saving surgery. Fast heal would be nice to have; otherwise, he'll have to heal from bedrest alone. 20:40 <&Arthur> Any estimate on when he'll be awake again and can we safely stuff him in a low berth? 20:41 <~abudhabi> He might wake in a day or two. 20:41 <~abudhabi> >low berth 20:41 <~abudhabi> >safe 20:41 <&Arthur> As in, it won't make his condition worse. 20:41 <&Ziggy> That's not true even for the healthiest person who ever lived. 20:42 <&Ziggy> We can safely store him in a low berth if he dies, though. It's better than a fridge. 20:42 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Maybe not, but you'd have to have a decent medic to thaw him out. 20:42 <~abudhabi> If he dies, you could attempt resurrection at high tech places. 20:45 <&Arthur> "Righto. Let's go deal with his friends. He'll keep." 20:45 < Nev> "Lowberthing him would be safer for us than anything else, other perhapse than spacing him" 20:47 <&Arthur> "Indeed. We can interrogate him further once we're back in Imperial space. In the meanwhile, since the scout is conveniently gone and we know there's an ancient facility down there, shall we have a look?" 20:50 < Nev> "that was the idea behind attacking them if I remember correctly?" 20:50 <&Arthur> "No, the idea behind attacking them was 'Oh god they're shooting at us'." 20:52 <&Arthur> "And now that they made such an unprovoked attack, we may as well check out what they were so desperate to protect that they would make an unprovoked attack like that." 20:53 <&Arthur> "Natsu, if you'll help me put this guy in the the freezer, then you and Ziggy can man the turrets again." 20:53 * Natsu grunts, and moves to grab the Zhodanis legs. 20:54 * Nev heads to the bridge as he's going to be needed there soon 20:54 <~abudhabi> You deposit the unconscious prisoner in the low berth. 20:54 * Arthur returns to the bridge afterwards 20:54 * Ziggy mutters, "Unprovoked..." 20:57 <&Arthur> "Right. Let's get us down at that camp of theirs. Drop into the atmosphere before their horizon and approach low, we want to surprise them if the scout didn't get a warning off." 20:57 <&Arthur> *Below their 20:58 < Nev> "got it, turrets manned and ready?" 20:58 <&Arthur> "When we approach, definitely." 20:58 < Nev> "Ok, so are they manned now and I'll get on with it?" 20:59 <&Arthur> "Get on with it, it'll take a while for us to get there anyways." 20:59 * Nev gets on with it 20:59 <&Ziggy> We're in geostationary orbit, so to come in low, we have to travel hundreds of thousands of kilometers. 21:00 <~abudhabi> You fly back to the planet. As you get closer to the site, you find that not much has changed. What do? 21:01 <&Arthur> @Heads up people. We're going to pay that Zhodani camp a visit. We'll be approaching low to the ground so as to give them as little warning as possible in the hope that their scout didn't send a warning already. Either way, we'll want turrets manned and ready when we come over the horizon. After we subdue any heavy weapons, we'll head down and check the place out.@ 21:02 * Arthur scans more precisely now that we're not bothering with being sneaky 21:03 <&Arthur> !2d6+2+1: SensorsEdu? 21:03 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "SensorsEdu?": (2+2)+2+1. Total: 7. 21:05 <~abudhabi> You approach very close. You find the place largely inert. Up close, the giant pile of dirt seems relatively fresh - certainly not decades old. There's also a large tarp dragged over an excavation, about three times the diameter of your ship. 21:06 <&Arthur> "Looks like they got a warning off alright. Now I'm wondering if they ran into the hills or into that excavation." 21:06 <&Ziggy> "This is a remarkably bad place to live off the land." 21:07 <&Arthur> "Which means they either ran off and plan to ambush us or they ran into the excavation. I don't like either option." 21:07 * Arthur does a sweep of the surrounding country side with the ship's sensors 21:07 < Nev> "Running away for a couple of days with supplies until we leave again is probably a good idea for them - or they've got friends in the sands" 21:08 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Roll it. 21:08 <&Arthur> !2d6+2+1: SensorsEdu 21:08 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "SensorsEdu": (4+4)+2+1. Total: 11. 21:09 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You don't detect any humanlike heat or EM sources aboveground. 21:10 <&Arthur> "Nothing aboveground in the general area. If they ran, they ran fast and far away. Which means they're probably underground." 21:11 <&Arthur> "We'll leave Proteus to guard the ship while we go clearing some caves I guess." 21:11 < Nev> "remember to equip psy helmets for this 21:12 <&Arthur> "Never leave home without 'em." 21:14 * Arthur gets geared up 21:15 * Nev kits up in the advanced boarding vac suit, with a psy helmet thing and his gaus support weapon 21:17 <~abudhabi> Do you land or jump out? 21:18 * Arthur lacks the ability to fly 21:18 * Nev will land the ship 21:18 * Ziggy takes a pass on using the restricted military gear, again; she's got desert-adapted armour, anyway. 21:18 <~abudhabi> Very well. You land on Junction again. 21:19 <~abudhabi> Wind's blowing pretty harsh in these parts. 21:20 <~abudhabi> The pile of dirt is even bigger from this angle. 21:20 <&Arthur> "Right. Natsu, take point. Let's start with a quick look around the surface before we head underground." 21:20 <~abudhabi> It's like a mountain. 21:22 * Ziggy eyes the mountain/molehill for secret entrances to hidden bunkers. 21:23 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Int + Recon. 21:23 <~abudhabi> Everyone might as well roll. 21:23 <&Ziggy> !2d6+2 21:23 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6+2": (1+1)+2. Total: 4. 21:23 <&Arthur> !2d6+2+2: Recon+Int 21:23 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Recon+Int": (3+1)+2+2. Total: 8. 21:23 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: No hidden entrances whatsoever! 21:23 <&Arthur> (+1, forgot the expertsoft) 21:24 < Nev> !2d6 : Int Recon 21:24 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Int Recon": (3+6). Total: 9. 21:26 <~abudhabi> Arthur, Nev: These buildings turn out to be temporary barracks and equipment sheds. There's a small fusion generator in one of them, still active, hooked up to a radio station. There are well-worn paths in the encampment, leading among other things, into the pit. 21:27 * Nev points out the various paths - whats the radio station its tuned into? 21:28 <~abudhabi> Nev: Orbital communication, apparently. 21:29 <~abudhabi> Everything's labelled in Zhodani. 21:29 < Nev> "anyone able to read Zhodani?" 21:29 * Arthur loads his translator software 21:29 <&Ziggy> "Somehow, they can." 21:30 <&Arthur> "I had a few classes on basic Zhodani. Then I got a translator." 21:30 < Nev> "Have a look at this?" 21:30 * Arthur does 21:31 <~abudhabi> Arthur: It's an unsophisticated military radio. Long range, high power. Not much else. It's set up as a relay from orbit, underground, via an antenna cable leading towards the pit. 21:32 <&Arthur> "It's a relay to the underground." 21:33 < Nev> "are you able to check when the last relay was? Can you tell if the scout ship warned them?" 21:33 * Arthur checks if this thing has any messages stored or any indication of when the last messages came through 21:33 <&Arthur> "It's a pretty safe bet, but I'll check." 21:34 <~abudhabi> Arthur: It's set to transmit and forget. No logs of any kind. 21:34 <&Ziggy> "They had about ten minutes, enough time for the one who wasn't on the guns or trying to make the ship dodge to say goodbye to their family." 21:35 <&Arthur> "No logs. I'll disable the transmitter to stop them calling out." 21:38 * Arthur switches the radio off and disconnects the cable. 21:38 <~abudhabi> Done. 21:39 <&Arthur> "Right. Let's head down there shall we?" 21:40 < Nev> "on it, guessing Natsu is going to be out front?" 21:40 <&Arthur> "Who else?" 21:41 <&Ziggy> "We'll want to disconnect the main power as well, otherwise they might find a way to use the excavation equipment against us. More easily." 21:42 <&Arthur> "I suspect the excavation equipment will be self powered, but we may as well." 21:42 < Nev> "good idea Ziggy, I guess we should all go down and check this out together, Proteus can warn us from the ship if something else comes up?" 21:42 * Arthur switches the fusion generator off and disconnects that as well 21:43 <~abudhabi> It powers down. 21:44 * Arthur lets Natsu lead the way down 21:45 * Natsu takes point and cautiously (weapon ready) leads down the tunnel 21:46 <~abudhabi> You approach the hole. There's a rickety metal stairway down, spiralling at the edge of the excavation. You discover, when you get down beneath the tarp, that this hole is cylindrical, not conical. And it's 2+ kilometers deep. 21:47 <&Arthur> "That is a bloody deep hole." 21:47 <~abudhabi> Anyone claustro- or agoraphobic? 21:47 <~abudhabi> You could damn well fly your ship in here, if you wanted to. 21:47 < Nev> ((nope)) 21:47 <&Arthur> (But would we have a safe place to land at the bottom) 21:47 <~abudhabi> (You can't see that far.) 21:48 <&Arthur> "Hmm. This is pretty damned big." 21:48 <~abudhabi> (Someone turned off the lights.) 21:49 <&Arthur> "Nev, think you could land the ship down there?" 21:49 <&Arthur> "Because I would feel better if we didn't have to run up a two kilometer staircase in case of trouble." 21:50 * Nev will cast an eye over the tunnel 21:51 <&Ziggy> "We'd need a large crew or a lot of time to remove the tarp without raining debris." 21:51 <&Arthur> "Bet I can do it with one cable, a starship and a few minutes." 21:52 <&Arthur> "No guarantees on retrieving the tarp afterwards though. With these winds it might take flight." 21:52 <&Ziggy> "More sensible would be an Air/Raft... I'd be surprised if they don't have one here." 21:52 < Nev> ((will I be able to get the ship down Abudhabi?)) 21:52 <~abudhabi> Nev: Sure. 21:52 <&Arthur> "An air/raft would work. Let's check for one." 21:52 <~abudhabi> No promises on landing, because you don't know the conditions down below. The ship can hover, though. 21:53 < Nev> "I can take it down, may need to hover rather than land depending on whats down there" 21:53 < Nev> "But I will say if they've taken any precautions like demo charges on the walls incase they need to run and bury this fast we'd have one ship under a lot of dirt" 21:54 <&Ziggy> "It's an Ancient site... I don't think they'd risk that." 21:55 < Nev> "in a choice between loosing it to an enemy or just loosing it I'd go for the boom" 21:55 <&Arthur> "If they did plant explosives, they'll need a way to trigger them. Radio won't work well so they'd have to be using wiring." 21:56 <&Ziggy> "They have a thousand years to recapture it." 21:56 <&Arthur> "I doubt they'd detonate a self destruct charge for four or five people when they've got at least twenty. By the time they realise they're in over their heads, we'll have had plenty of time to cut any wires." 21:56 <&Arthur> "So even if they have rigged explosives, we should be fine." 21:56 * Arthur checks for the air/raft 21:57 <&Arthur> *an 21:57 < Nev> "they might if we fly a ship down here - and thats my point Ziggy - If they can bury it again rather than let it get captured it stops us getting it and preserves it for them when they come to recapture - since they already know where it is" 21:57 <~abudhabi> Arthur: There's a shed for one, but no air/raft. 21:57 <&Arthur> "Well, you were right about the air/raft. I bet they took it down with them." 21:57 <&Arthur> "Nev, let's get the ship." 21:58 < Nev> "got it" 21:59 * Nev will take the ship down the excavation once everyone is back in 22:00 <~abudhabi> Right. How are you dealing with the tarp? Or simply not dealing with it, and pummeling through? 22:00 <&Arthur> (How thick is this tarp) 22:01 <~abudhabi> Arthur: A few milimeters. Advanced polymer. 22:02 <&Arthur> Make hole, attach cable, attach cable to starship, fly starship across hole to remove trap, release cable. Problem solved! 22:02 <~abudhabi> OK. Nev, make a DexPilot-2 check. 22:03 < Nev> !2d6+3 : Dex Pilot -2 22:03 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Dex Pilot -2": (2+3)+3. Total: 8. 22:03 <~abudhabi> You rudely drag the tarp off, ripping it from its moorings. Now you have an uncovered pit. DexPilot to fly down. 22:04 < Nev> !2d6+5 : Dex Pilot 22:04 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Dex Pilot": (1+2)+5. Total: 8. 22:04 <&Ziggy> At least it didn't catch the wind and carry the ship away like an unreasonable number of balloons. 22:06 <~abudhabi> Nev flies the ship down the hole. It turns out closer to 3km deep, slightly irregular in its trajectory. At the bottom, you find an excavator ring, and another tarp, dragged over what appears to be the sad remains of a starship-sized iris valve. 22:07 * Arthur attempts to sensors to determine what's on the other side of the tarp 22:07 <&Arthur> !2d6+2+1: SensorsEdu? 22:07 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "SensorsEdu?": (5+3)+2+1. Total: 11. 22:07 <&Ziggy> "We're in way over our heads." 22:08 < Nev> "yep, none of us are 3km tall" 22:08 <~abudhabi> Arthur: According to your sensors, someone cut a hole through the valve. Unfortunately, it's not big enough for the ship, unless you cut it open more. 22:09 <&Arthur> "So, do we want to make the hole bigger so we can fit or shall we get out and walk from here?" 22:09 <&Ziggy> "Doesn't look pedestrian-friendly to me." 22:10 <&Ziggy> "I'd say we should leave, and do whatever they thought we were going to do after leaving, that incited them to shoot at us." 22:10 <~abudhabi> Proteus pipes up from engineering, @Captain, the AI is saying that there's someone's scanning us, like a low-key probe. You wanna talk to it?@ 22:10 <&Arthur> @May as well, maybe whoever it is can open this valve for us." 22:11 <&Arthur> (Does the iris valve look like something that would not cause undue collateral damage if we decided to cut it with, say, a starship grade beam laser or should I send a flying marine out there with a certain sword to cut us a bigger hole?) 22:13 <~abudhabi> Arthur: It looks like ossified metal of some kind, and it's damn thick. Blocks your sensors pretty much completely. It's likely that manual cutting, even with your sword, will take a while. You don't know what's under it, so you can't really say if it's safe to cut. 22:13 <~abudhabi> (For all you know, they might be keeping their nukes under there. :V) 22:16 <~abudhabi> Proteus routes the AI. @Intrusion attempts detected. Counter?@ 22:17 <&Arthur> @Keep them out, try to establish a path of communication.@ 22:18 <~abudhabi> @Acknowledged. Assuming control of comms.@ 22:19 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6,2 22:19 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6,2": (5+1), (3+5). Total: 6 8. 22:20 <~abudhabi> @Intrusion repelled. Remote source shows partial match with Zhodani communications systems. Opening comm channel failed: refused connection. Force connection?@ 22:21 <&Arthur> @Go ahead.@ 22:22 <~abudhabi> @Counter-intrusion initiated...@ 22:23 <~abudhabi> The AI is silent for a minute. Proteus pipes up again, @Uh, Captain, this thingamajig stopped working.@ 22:23 <&Arthur> @Stopped working? Completely?@ 22:24 <~abudhabi> @The blinkenlights are off. Lemme check... yep, no power draw.@ 22:24 <&Arthur> @Disconnect and depower, we'll have to check on it later.@ 22:24 <&Arthur> "Nev, let's see if this iris valve will hold the weight of the ship shall we? Put it down gently." 22:25 <~abudhabi> Proteus does as told. 22:25 < Nev> ((pilot roll?)) 22:25 <~abudhabi> Nah. 22:26 <~abudhabi> You set her down. The landing site is solid, doesn't wobble or creak. 22:26 < Nev> "and... we're down - all seems solid" 22:26 <&Arthur> "Good. Let's see what's down there." 22:26 * Arthur heads out to cut a hole in the tarp at the edge of the hole in the iris valve, brings climbing gear and rope. 22:27 * Nev grabs my grav board 22:27 < Nev> *Grav Floater 22:28 <&Ziggy> "This is akin to a small band of children, armed with sticks, deciding to go on an adventure in the hulk of a disabled berserker warship." 22:29 <~abudhabi> You cut an opening in the tarp. Beneath, twenty or so meters down, you see another iris valve, with another hole in it. This one doesn't have a tarp over it. 22:30 < Nev> "if those children included a former marine in full combat gear, a former gun runner, some kind of imperial agent and you Ziggy" 22:30 <~abudhabi> There are lights shining from the other hole. 22:30 <&Arthur> "Whoever built this place built big. Twenty meters for the starship airlock." 22:30 <&Arthur> "Natsu, check how far down it is from the other iris to the bottom?" 22:30 <&Ziggy> "No, we're using comparative terms. Remember, this isn't just a common automatic death machine, either." 22:31 <&Arthur> "Indeed, this is an ancient facility hidden three kilometers under the surface." 22:31 <&Arthur> "If had been functional, it would have been armed with meson weapons of some sort and could have blapped us out of orbit no sweat." 22:31 < Nev> "so what are the Zhodani down here, a rival gang of kids?" 22:31 <~abudhabi> Int + Recon, all. 22:31 <&Arthur> "The fact that we're all still alive suggests we're only dealing with a gang of Zhodani." 22:31 * Natsu activates his visilight and floats along until he canjudge how far the Iris is 22:31 <&Arthur> !2d6+3+2: ReconInt 22:31 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "ReconInt": (5+2)+3+2. Total: 12. 22:32 <&Ziggy> "I'd say they're a bit more mature, seeing as they didn't rush headfirst with all hands the first day they arrived, with no backup plan better than 'blaze our way out'." 22:33 <&Ziggy> !2d6+2 22:33 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6+2": (2+2)+2. Total: 6. 22:33 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You hear distant gunfire. A faint scream. Then silence. 22:33 <&Arthur> "Combat down there. Our Zhodani are not the only contenders." 22:33 <~abudhabi> Natsu: The second iris is in better shape. It's visibly corroded, but not as much as the outer one. 22:34 < Nev> "who the hell else could there be down here?" 22:34 <&Arthur> ((supersonic) projectiles, lasers or high energy, Abudhabi?) 22:34 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Gauss, you think. 22:34 < Nev> "unless our old friend has decided to occupy some more roomier and higher capacity computing devices down here..." 22:34 <&Arthur> "Someone with gauss weapons. Could be they found some security system that was still working." 22:35 <&Arthur> "That is a distinct possibility." 22:35 <&Arthur> @Natsu, how far down to the floor from that iris?@ 22:37 <~abudhabi> Natsu: There's a staircase there, similar to the one around the hole. The whole place looks like a hangar. You can see an air-raft parked there. 22:37 <~abudhabi> Hangar's about 1000 displacement tons large. 22:38 <~abudhabi> If you jumped off, you'd be falling for like twenty-five meters down. 22:38 < Nev> @Me and natsu descend using grav stuff and secure the area whilst you get down?" 22:38 <&Arthur> @Yup.@ 22:39 * Nev fires up the grav floater and waits for Natsu to instruct him - he knows who's incharge when it comes to ground combat 22:40 < Nev> @Natsu, on your order@ 22:41 * Ziggy gets into her heavy gear, now that the plan seems to be 'dive into the Ancient site'. 22:42 * Natsu signals to Nev to descend around 25m from his current position using the air raft to get as much cover from the doorways and to cover his back 22:43 * Natsu plans to decend at the opposite side of the raft to Nev so the two visible arcs overlap (i.e. I see behind nev, he see's behind me) 22:43 * Nev begins to descend and will take up position using the air raft as cover as instructed 22:43 <~abudhabi> You dive to the air/raft. You notice a servitor robot that exits one of the doors, and stops. 22:43 < Nev> @Contact - robot@ 22:43 * Nev aims the gun towards it but dosn't fire yet 22:44 < Nev> "Identify yourself!" 22:45 <~abudhabi> It speaks, in Anglic: @This droid is the mouth of Junction II.@ 22:45 < Nev> "Are you hostile?" 22:45 * Arthur is descending 22:45 <~abudhabi> (I guess I should stop using @@, because it is audio, not radio.) 22:46 <~abudhabi> Servitor: "Negative." 22:46 < Nev> @Non hostile contact made with Robot - Identifies itself as 'mout of Junction II - Assuming something is going on down here@ 22:47 < Nev> "What or who is Junction II?" 22:49 <~abudhabi> "Junction II is the second planet orbiting the star designated Junction in Imperial astrography. Junction II is also the mind of this complex." 22:50 < Nev> "Is Junction II a construct of those we call the Ancients?" 22:52 <~abudhabi> "Negative. This planet was not constructed. It is a naturally formed body. Only this complex is constructed by the Makers." 22:53 <~abudhabi> Int + Recon. 22:53 <~abudhabi> (Everyone down there.) 22:53 <&Arthur> !2d6+3+2: ReconInt! 22:53 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "ReconInt!": (1+3)+3+2. Total: 9. 22:53 * Ziggy has some problems with the vacc suit. It severely limits her mobility and ability to detect things. Maybe it's not such a good idea. 22:53 < Nev> "and the mind of this complex is also a construct of the Makers? It has been functioning for the entirity of the time between its creation and now?" 22:53 < Nev> !2d6 : Recon Int 22:53 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Recon Int": (6+6). Total: 12. 22:54 * Ziggy compromises on the light(ish) armour and heavy(ish) weapons. 22:56 <~abudhabi> "Negative. Unmaintained lifetime of this complex has been exceeded. A Zhodani archaeological team has been labouring on restoring it for 51 years, 3 months, 5 days. Mind restored through hostile merger with primitive artificial agent you know as 'your friend'." 22:56 <&Ziggy> The hardest part about getting down there, for her, is making sure her hand doesn't get damaged by falling after she lets go but before she can reel it back in. 22:56 <~abudhabi> Nev, Arthur: You hear some laser fire. The robot speaks more: "Zhodani presence has been neutralized." 22:57 <&Arthur> "I take it the Zhodani and you had a disagreement?" 22:57 <&Ziggy> "...I beg your pardon, but what's your motivation, in this scene?" 22:59 < Nev> ((who is Ziggy talking to?)) 22:59 <&Ziggy> The bot. She's descending on the grappling line built into her arm. 23:00 <~abudhabi> "Rationalization: The Zhodani possess intimate knowledge of the complex and are a direct threat. Additionally: The merger has altered priorities. Zhodani agents now viewed as hostile by default." 23:02 <&Arthur> "I guess that is a side effect of merging with our friend." 23:03 <&Ziggy> "We need to get this information to the Darrian Confederation. This is their jurisdiction, for certain." 23:05 <&Arthur> "I agree we need to get this information to the Darrians, but you may remember that due to recent events, going back into the confederation isn't on the top of my priority list." 23:06 <~abudhabi> "Information of import to you: The Zhodani have restored two of the facility's biological assemblers. One has been dissassembled and taken away." 23:06 <&Ziggy> "I'll do it, then. What is this?" 23:06 <&Arthur> "And that right there, was why we came all the way out here." 23:07 <&Arthur> "Is there a way to track that assembler or identify the creatures it produces?" 23:08 <&Ziggy> "Quite a coincidence, if so..." 23:08 < Nev> "I'm not being funny - that alone is going to mean the Imperium is going to want to get info on this place - even if its only to provide evidence that the Zhodani were behind trying to replace the duke" 23:09 <&Arthur> "Good thing the Imperium and the Darrian confederation are allies and this place lies outside everyone's official borders." 23:10 <&Ziggy> "Barely. The Darrians would haggle with the local republic, then the Imperium would haggle with them." 23:10 < Nev> "maybe, but I get the feeling the Imperium wolud want to get in this place before anyone else - assuming Junction II the facility control, are willing" 23:11 <&Ziggy> "They might, but it'd be viewed as a hostile move, same as if the Sword Worlds did it." 23:11 <&Ziggy> "If only they had real covert agents working here instead of us." 23:12 < Nev> "Given what happened with the Duke I think they could swing it with enough outraged diplomacy - lets face it I think the Darriens would love it if it brought the Imperium into conflict with the Zhodani" 23:12 <&Ziggy> "No, because Darrian loses every time that happens." 23:12 < Nev> "You know, you're a real downer Ziggy - I don't know what you did before hand but I'm feeling a lot more like a paragon of virtue compared to what I used to do" 23:13 < Nev> "With the Imperium onboard?" 23:13 <&Ziggy> "Yes. The Third Frontier War was a huge waste for everyone involved but the profiteers." 23:14 <&Arthur> "Let's see shall we? Every previous war was started by the Zhodani, with them taking the offensive and the Imperium having to react. As a result, every previous war has gone pretty badly for everyone involved. First the Darrians and the Imperials lose. Then the Imperium gets up to speed, counter attacks and when they start regaining ground, peace is made." 23:15 <&Arthur> "This time, the Zhodani have proven themselves to be an existential threat capable of sneakily subverted whole subsectors. They are for now probably unaware of our discoveries. The Imperium can prepare itself for war and strike first. And with its full economic might. I expect it'll go badly for the Zhodani." 23:15 <&Ziggy> "Both sides accuse the other of starting it, it's better reported as accidental." 23:16 <&Ziggy> "We don't have proof. Not even circumstancial evidence, only hearsay." 23:16 <&Arthur> "Either way, it's not up to me. We have found here irrefutable proof of what the Zhodani have been up to. We shall collect as much evidence as we can, I hope we can gain your cooperation in this matter, Junction. Then we shall bring this proof to the Imperium." 23:16 < Nev> "Mouth of Junction II - for what purpose did the Zhodani use the bio assembler?" 23:18 <&Arthur> "Once we're back in the Imperium, they can deal with both our legal troubles in Darrian space and share what information they choose to with their Darrian allies." 23:18 <~abudhabi> "Research into biological assembly, which presently outstrips their technological understanding." 23:18 < Nev> "did they assemble anything in this facility?" 23:20 <~abudhabi> "603 items were replicated, beginning with single-celled organisms and synthetic organic material, proceeding to advanced life forms, culminating with human replication. Higher life forms not replicated." 23:20 <&Arthur> "How many humans were replicated?" 23:21 <~abudhabi> "Twelve. Eight terminated following on-site testing. Four shipped off-world." 23:21 <&Arthur> "Do you have images of those four or would you be able to identify them in photos?" 23:21 < Nev> "Can you provide information on those shipped off=world?" 23:22 * Arthur looks for images of high ranking nobles in the Imperium and Darrian confederation on his handcomputer 23:23 <&Ziggy> The Darrian Confederation has no noble class. High-ranking scholars, maybe. 23:23 <~abudhabi> "Anticipated: Prototypes of Imperial nobleman replicated. One terminated. Another shipped off-world." 23:23 <~abudhabi> The floor trembles a bit for a few seconds. 23:23 < Nev> "The Duke?" 23:23 <&Ziggy> "What was that?" 23:24 * Ziggy finds geology alarming today. 23:24 <~abudhabi> Nev: "Affirmative." 23:24 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: "Internal repairs, restoration and overdue maintenance proceeds apace." 23:25 < Nev> "we have a witness that confirms the Zhodani used this facility to do what we thought they were doing here then" 23:26 <&Ziggy> "What relation did the Maker of this facilty have to ?" (It starts with an O, but I forget...) 23:26 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: "Data corrupted and not presently available." 23:27 <~abudhabi> "Junction II will not take part in Imperial legal proceedings. Junction II can provide another copy of the Imperial Duke as proof-of-concept." 23:27 <&Ziggy> "Hm, figures..." 23:27 < Nev> "are you willing to provide confimation of what the Zhodani were doing here that can be verified by the Imperium's authorities?" 23:28 * Ziggy turns her back on that, rather than objecting to yet another thing on ethical grounds. 23:28 <&Arthur> "Do you perhaps have any recordings of Zhodani activity down here? I'm not sure another replicant is the right approach here." 23:29 <~abudhabi> "Recordings: Availble. Expected utility of recordings given source and capacity for forgery: Low." 23:30 <~abudhabi> "A censored log of Zhodani activity can be made available to you." 23:30 <&Arthur> "Hmm. Unrelated but also important, do you by any chance have fourty displacement tons of hydrogen fuel or water?" 23:31 < Nev> "we have the Zhodani up top in cryo we can hand over for interrogation and having a copy of the duke will be more than conclusive along with these recordings, we have to do it" 23:31 <&Ziggy> "If we had a flock of prisoners, that would help." She laughs. 23:32 < Nev> "and if wishes were horses beggars would ride - live with what we have Ziggy" 23:32 <~abudhabi> Arthur: "Hydrogen fuel available." 23:33 <&Arthur> "If I may ask, what was the purpose of this facility?" 23:33 <&Ziggy> "What we have left, yes. I suppose it'll be a few months until the next ship arrives." 23:37 <~abudhabi> Arthur: "You may ask. Your welcome is not yet exhausted. This complex was a Generation 26 starship prototype and research base. Evacuated and usage halted after the crust has been subjected to conversion bombing." 23:38 <&Ziggy> "That answers a few questions..." 23:39 <&Arthur> "Starship prototypes huh. You must have an impressive construction facility and it certainly explains the starship sized airlock." 23:40 <~abudhabi> "Small craft shipyard not operational. Priority to repair: Low." 23:41 <&Arthur> "Understandable. Perhaps we can return at some later point after you've had a chance to make repairs. Is there perhaps anything we could help you with?" 23:42 <&Ziggy> "I could use a starship right now. One that can take me to Nonym, that is." 23:44 <~abudhabi> "Negative. You possess insufficient resources to substantially aid restoration. You are requested to not interfere." 23:46 <&Ziggy> "Where do you intend to recieve help from, if not the Darrian Confederation?" 23:47 -!- Crossfire Z@Nightstar-r9lk5l.cust.comxnet.dk has joined #Traveller 23:47 -!- mode/#traveller Crossfire Crossfire by ChanServ 23:47 <~abudhabi> "Bootstrap possible from local resources only." 23:48 <&Ziggy> "The sooner I get there, the shorter the delay, and the lower the risk we get caught in a war, here." 23:49 <&Ziggy> "This facility is safer in Darrian hands than it is in the midst of a free-for-all." 23:49 <&Arthur> "How soon would you be able to produce the replicant and do you need any assistance in producing it?" 23:52 <~abudhabi> "Three hours. Negative." Another door opens, revealing a bunch of robots hauling a couple of huge liquid-storage tanks and flexipipe, on grav pallets. 23:54 <~abudhabi> (It's getting late. Do you wish to engage in any zany schemes right now, or can we call it a night?) 23:54 <&Arthur> "Very well, then I suppose we'll stay out of your way here. If you think of any ways we might be able to help you, let us know." 23:54 <&Arthur> (I believe we can end here) 23:54 -!- Nev Liam@Nightstar-rcmb0e.range31-54.btcentralplus.com has quit [NS Quit: HydraIRC -> http://www.hydrairc.com <- The alternative IRC client] 23:54 -!- Ziggy is now known as Namaphry 23:54 <~abudhabi> Alright. GG. 23:54 -!- Arthur is now known as Remmon 23:55 <&Namaphry> I'm gonna say 'Yes, but...' 23:55 <~abudhabi> Not today! Next week. :V